Service Animals Now Welcome at Office of Lawyer Sued for Banning Dog
A Colorado lawyer will pay $50,000 and his law firm will post a “Service Animals Welcome” sign to settle a Justice Department complaint that he refused to allow a brain-damaged woman to bring her service dog to a deposition at his offices.
Attorney Patric LeHouillier of Colorado Springs will also train his staff on the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the Denver Post and a Justice Department press release. A federal judge has approved the consent decree.
The deponent, a veterinarian, had trained her Australian Shepherd to help her with balance, vision and hearing. LeHouillier refused to let the dog enter because he feared the animal would soil his recently acquired carpeting, the complaint had alleged.
The veterinarian and her husband will receive $40,000 under the settlement. LeHouillier will also pay a $10,000 civil penalty.
